Trivia Quiz?

[phkrause]

The 2015 Scripps Spelling Bee ended in a tie. Which were the winning words?

A. Scherenschnitte and nunatak
B. Nixmatal and paroemiology
C. Zimocca and Bruxellois
D. Myrmotherine and pyrrhuloxia

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions about "The Godfather"

March 15, 1972 marked the premiere of The Godfather. So see how much you know about one of the most iconic movies of all time by answering these trivia questions about it!

What Were the Three Conditions Paramount Insisted on If Marlon Brando Was to Play Vito Corleone?

The Mob Backed off Their Protests of The Godfather Movie When the Studio Agreed to Make What Script Change?

What Iconic Line from The Godfather Was Improvised?

What Made Actor John Marley's Screams So Extreme in the Scene Where He Wakes Up to Find a Horse's Head in his Bed?

 

[phkrause]

Who was famously killed on the Ides of March?

William Shakespeare Joan of Arc Julius Caesar Alexander the Great

Sounds like Joan of Arc?

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What was the first ever registered domain name?

symbolics.com xerox.com think.com ibm.com

Answer: The first Internet domain name, symbolics.com, was registered by the Symbolics Computer Corp. of Massachusetts on this day in 1985. Today, Symbolics.com remains the first, and oldest, registered domain name out of over 320 million domain names in existence. The second domain name registered was Bbn.com, registered to BBN Technologies April 24, 1985. The initial rounds of domain registration weren’t exactly a mad dash: By 1992, fewer than 15,000 .com domains had been registered.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

The 2015 Scripps Spelling Bee ended in a tie. Which were the winning words?

A. Scherenschnitte and nunatak
B. Nixmatal and paroemiology
C. Zimocca and Bruxellois
D. Myrmotherine and pyrrhuloxia

A. Scherenschnitte and nunatak

Thirteen-year-old Vanya Shivashankar's winning word was "scherenschnitte," and co-winner 14-year-old Gokul Venkatachalam spelled "nunatak" correctly. But all of the choices were words the duo spelled correctly during the final round.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Were the Three Conditions Paramount Insisted on If Marlon Brando Was to Play Vito Corleone?

Paramount was, um, less than enthused about the idea of casting Marlon Brando. Executive Robert Evans reportedly said, "He's crazy. {Expletive} him and the horse he rode in on." (Don't worry, we'll get to the horse later). And Paramount head Charles Bludhorn put it a little less vulgarly when he said Brando would "never appear in a Paramount picture." Director Francis Ford Coppola pushed hard for Brando and finally the studio relented under three conditions: 1) Brando would do a screen test, 2) if they used him, he would star in the movie for free, and 3) Brando had to put up a bond to cover any losses caused if he lived up to his bad-boy on-set reputation. Which is pretty much the most passive aggressive way you can tell someone you don't want him to be in your movie.

Coppola took his window and told Brando they needed to do a makeup test. He then submitted that as the aforementioned screen test which so blew the studio away that they dropped their other two conditions. Brando went on to submit one of the most incredible film performances of all time and win the Oscar for Best Actor. The moral, as always: studio executives know nothing.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

The Mob Backed off Their Protests of The Godfather Movie When the Studio Agreed to Make What Script Change?

There were a lot of people who didn't want this movie to get made, and chief among them were the mob who were worried about how they might be portrayed. When Coppola was in Little Italy doing some tests, he came out from eating lunch to find his truck, holding roughly a million dollars worth of equipment, had been stolen. The film's producer Robert Evans got death threats directed at both him and his family. Mob members used to just show up on set to make sure everything was going all right. So, eventually, producer Al Ruddy had to invite mobster Joe Colombo to his office to make peace. Colombo said they would back down a bit if the studio removed any mention of the word "mafia" from the script. Apparently they never read the script, because the word "mafia" had only been used all of once.

The studio gladly took it out.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Iconic Line from The Godfather Was Improvised?

This is a tough question because there are a lot of iconic lines from The Godfather, and probably nothing will ever get more credit than when Vito says, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse." But almost as famous is when Clemenza (played by Richard S. Castellano) utters the classic, "Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

It happens right after Paulie gets whacked. We would say spoiler alert, but the movie came out in 1972 and it's, ya know, The Godfather. So if you didn't know what happened, that's on you. Well according to Coppola, he can't take any credit for that line. It was an improvisation by Castellano.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What Made Actor John Marley's Screams So Extreme in the Scene Where He Wakes Up to Find a Horse's Head in his Bed?

We told you we'd get back to the horse. One of many famous scenes in the movie features actor John Marley finding a horses' head in his bed. All throughout rehearsals, Coppola used a fake horse's head, because, what kind of madman would use an actual horse's head? Well when the day of the real shoot came and Marley looked over for that first take, there was a real horse's head they had gotten from the dog food factory. So those screams you hear are quite authentic. Animal rights groups protested the scene, but apparently they weren't quite as intimidating as the mob, because that one stuck.

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who was famously killed on the Ides of March?

William Shakespeare Joan of Arc Julius Caesar Alexander the Great

Sounds like Joan of Arc?

I guess not!!

Answer: The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar that corresponds to March 15. In modern times, the Ides of March is best known as the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC. Caesar was stabbed to death at a meeting of the senate. As many as 60 conspirators, led by Brutus and Cassius, were involved. According to Plutarch, a seer had warned that harm would come to Caesar no later than the Ides of March. This meeting is famously dramatised in William Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to "beware the Ides of March."

[phkrause]

Which astrological sign might a person with the following characteristics be: analytical, loyal, independent, skeptical, inflexible and fussy?

A. Cancer
B. Capricorn
C. Taurus
D. Virgo

[phkrause]

Which restaurant chain was founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell?

Applebee's Golden Corral California Pizza Kitchen Chuck E. Cheese

[phkrause]

4 Trivia Questions to Celebrate West Point's Birthday

On March 16, 1802, President Thomas Jefferson signed legislation officially creating the United States Military Academy.  To mark the anniversary of the school's founding, try your luck with these trivia questions about the United States Military Academy.

Who was ¨The Father of West Point"?

What General Conspired to Surrender West Point to the British?

Who are Some of the Academy's Most Notable Graduates?

When were Women First Admitted to West Point?

[phkrause]

In the film "Risky Business," Tom Cruise's character dances in his underwear to which song?

"Eye Of The Tiger" "The Power Of Love" "Old Time Rock and Roll" “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”

I believe "Old Time Rock and Roll"

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which astrological sign might a person with the following characteristics be: analytical, loyal, independent, skeptical, inflexible and fussy?

A. Cancer
B. Capricorn
C. Taurus
D. Virgo

D. Virgo

Virgos tend to be independent sticklers who focus on perfection. But they are loyal friends and lovers who crave order.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which restaurant chain was founded by Atari co-founder Nolan Bushnell?

Applebee's Golden Corral California Pizza Kitchen Chuck E. Cheese

Answer: Nolan Bushnell established Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza Time Theatre chain. Bushnell has started more than twenty companies and is one of the founding fathers of the video game industry. Bushnell has been inducted into the Video Game Hall of Fame and the Consumer Electronics Association Hall of Fame, received the BAFTA Fellowship and the Nations Restaurant News “Innovator of the Year” award, and was named one of Newsweek's "50 Men Who Changed America."

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who was ¨The Father of West Point"?

One of the academy's earlier superintendents, Colonel and Brevet Brigadier General Sylvanus Thayer, himself an 1808 graduate of the academy, early on recognized the important role that engineering can play in military operations. During the War of 1812, Thayer oversaw the fortification and defense of Norfolk, Virginia. 

Named superintendent of West Point by President James Monroe in 1817, Thayer was responsible for leading the academy until his resignation from the post in 1833. During the intervening 16 years, Thayer helped the academy to become the nation's first college of engineering, thus earning him the nickname ¨the father of West Point.¨

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

What General Conspired to Surrender West Point to the British?

Connecticut-born Benedict Arnold was a general in the Continental Army. Distinguishing himself in several early battles of the Revolution, Arnold in July 1780 was given command of the military post at West Point. Angry that he had not been given full credit for some of his earlier military achievements and frustrated by his seeming inability to rise higher in the U.S. military ranks, Arnold entered into a conspiracy to turn the strategic military post over to the British. However, before his plan could be put into action, American forces captured British Major John Andre who was carrying documents that exposed Arnold's planned act of treason. Upon hearing of Andre's capture, Arnold fled down the Hudson River in a British sloop-of-war called the Vulture. Arnold was subsequently commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army, and he later led British troops in raids against American forces.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who are Some of the Academy's Most Notable Graduates?

As one might expect, many of the academy's graduates went on to make names for themselves as military leaders. Still others found fame in other walks of life. In the former category, stand-out West Point graduates include Dwight D. Eisenhower, Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, William Tecumseh Sherman, Thomas J. ¨Stonewall¨ Jackson, George B. McClellen, George E. Pickett, James E.B. Stuart, George A. Custer, John J. Pershing, Douglas MacArthur, George S. Patton Jr., Omar Bradley, Mark W. Clark, Maxwell Taylor, Creighton W. Abrams Jr., and Barry R. McCaffrey.

Those who found their greatest fame outside the military include Horace Webster, founder of Hobart College; George W. Goethals, architect and builder of the Panama Canal; Jefferson Davis, president of the Confederacy; astronauts Frank Borman, Edwin ¨Buzz¨ Aldrin, Edward White II, and Michael Collins; Edgar Allan Poe, Mike Krzyzewski, and James V. Kinsey, founding chairman of America On Line.

 

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

When were Women First Admitted to West Point?

The U.S. Military Academy was an all-male school until the fall of 1976 when West Point admitted its first 119 female cadets. This followed Congress's passage of 1975 legislation authorizing the enrollment of female students at all federal service academies. Today, females make up roughly 15 percent of each new enrolling class of cadets. In the years since women were first admitted to the academy, four women have served as First Captain, the highest ranking senior cadet. These four are Kristin Baker, 1989; Grace H. Chung, 2003; Stephanie Hightower, 2005; and Lindsey Danilack, 2013. In January 2016, Brigadier General Diana Holland, a veteran of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, became West Point's first female commandant of cadets. 

[phkrause]

18 hours ago, phkrause said:

In the film "Risky Business," Tom Cruise's character dances in his underwear to which song?

"Eye Of The Tiger" "The Power Of Love" "Old Time Rock and Roll" “Everybody Wants to Rule the World”

I believe "Old Time Rock and Roll"

Answer: "Old Time Rock and Roll" is a song recorded by Bob Seger on his 1978 album Stranger in Town. The song was featured in the 1983 film Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise. Cruise's character, Joel Goodson, famously lip-syncs and dances in his underwear as this song plays after his parents leave him home alone. It has since become a standard in popular music and was ranked number two on the Amusement & Music Operators Association's survey of the Top 40 Jukebox Singles of All Time. The song remains a staple on classic rock radio.

[phkrause]

The city of New Orleans used to ring in the New Year by dropping a gumbo pot. Which object replaced the gumbo pot in 2008?

A. A crab
B. The Fleur-de-lis symbol
C. A Mardi Gras mask
D. A beignet

[phkrause]

Which rock group recorded a jingle for Kellogg's Rice Krispies in 1964?

The Beatles The Monkees The Doors The Rolling Stones

Well I didn't have any idea, so I had to look it up and my pick was wrong!! I picked The Monkees, because I figured it sounded like something they would do!! I can't believe who it turned out to be!

[phkrause]

Share the Luck of the Irish With These Trivia Questions

On March 17, people around the world celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Whether you're lucky enough to be Irish or not, grab the nearest shamrock and try to answer these trivia questions.

Was St. Patrick Irish?

Who Can We Thank for Making St. Patrick's Day Permanent?

Was the Color Green Always Associated With St. Patrick's Day?

When Did Americans Begin Celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

[phkrause]

Why is Saint Patrick's Day celebrated on March 17?

It was his birthday It was the day he arrived in Ireland It was the day he drove away the snakes It was the day he died

I believe its the day he died!

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

The city of New Orleans used to ring in the New Year by dropping a gumbo pot. Which object replaced the gumbo pot in 2008?

A. A crab
B. The Fleur-de-lis symbol
C. A Mardi Gras mask
D. A beignet

B. The Fleur-de-lis symbol

The iconic Fleur-de-lis replaced the gumbo pot as a symbol of courage while New Orleans rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

Source: various web sites.

[phkrause]

21 hours ago, phkrause said:

Which rock group recorded a jingle for Kellogg's Rice Krispies in 1964?

The Beatles The Monkees The Doors The Rolling Stones

Well I didn't have any idea, so I had to look it up and my pick was wrong!! I picked The Monkees, because I figured it sounded like something they would do!! I can't believe who it turned out to be!

Answer: The Rolling Stones recorded a jingle for breakfast cereal Rice Krispies in the 1960s. The commercial had a run on British television in the early 1960s and was recorded just after the iconic group formed. During the 26-second commercial, someone poured milk into a bowl of Rice Krispies while Mick Jagger sang about the cereal. It is believed Brian Jones, who was an original band member, wrote the short song. The band went on to much bigger and better things in a career that has spanned several decades.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Was St. Patrick Irish?

No, he wasn't. The name given to him at birth by his Roman parents was Maewyn Succat. His father was in charge of what at the time was called Gaul in modern-day Great Britain, where Maewyn was born. Maewyn's father, Calpurnius, came from a high ranking Roman family. His mother, Conchessa, was related to the Hungarian-born St. Martin of Tours. As a teenager, Maewyn was kidnapped and sold as a slave in Ireland by pirates. He worked as a shepherd for six years, and it was during this period that he found God. Eventually, he escaped and returned home where he decided to study for the priesthood, taking the name Patrick. Returning to Ireland, he traveled extensively for 40 years and converted many to Christianity.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Who Can We Thank for Making St. Patrick's Day Permanent?

Luke Wadding, a Catholic theologian and Franciscan friar, celebrated the day of death of St. Patrick and encouraged his students to do likewise. Before the intercession of Wadding, it was not commemorated in Ireland or anywhere else. When a list of saints was published in 1588 by Pope Sixtus V, Patrick was included, although he had not been officially declared a saint by the church. In 1629, Wadding was a member of a commission charged with reforming the breviary. Wadding's campaign to add Patrick's date of death as a feast day to the Christian calendar was successful. This move gave Irish Catholics an official patron.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Was the Color Green Always Associated With St. Patrick's Day?

Originally, blue was the color associated with St. Patrick's Day. In fact, it was a blue shade called St. Patrick's blue that was used to commemorate the occasion. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day because of the greenness of the country, its nickname as the "Emerald Isle" and because St. Patrick used the shamrock as an aid to explaining the trinity. It was customary on St. Patrick's Day to stick a shamrock in one's lapel. During the 1798 Irish uprising, the figure of St. Patrick's shamrock combined with the song, "Wearing of the Green" in green being used in the flag and uniforms during the rebellion.

 

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

When Did Americans Begin Celebrating St. Patrick's Day?

The first known celebration was held in 1737 in Boston when some Irishmen got together for a dinner. The first parade "with Fifes and Drums" was held in 1766 in New York by Catholics who were in the British Army. By the middle of the 19th century, St. Patrick's Day celebrations were widespread. Today, cities have developed their own St. Patrick's Day traditions that are held from year to year. New York City holds the largest parade, which takes hours to pass and draws enormous festive crowds. In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green in celebration of the day, a tradition that has been held since 1961.

The St. Patrick's Day parade in Boston draws around 1 million onlookers, features a film festival dedicated to Ireland and a concert series that runs throughout the week. One of the more unusual, smaller celebrations is held in New London, Wisconsin, which is located near Green Bay. There, city signs are changed by leprechauns to "New Dublin," and a mock funeral is held, complete with an antique green hearse and pallbearers.

[phkrause]

19 hours ago, phkrause said:

Why is Saint Patrick's Day celebrated on March 17?

It was his birthday It was the day he arrived in Ireland It was the day he drove away the snakes It was the day he died

I believe its the day he died!

Answer: Saint Patrick was a 5th-century Romano-British Christian missionary and bishop in Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Ireland, along with Saints Brigit and Columba. Saint Patrick's Day is observed on March 17, which is the date of his death. In Ireland, Saint Patrick's Day is both a holy day and a national holiday. St. Patrick's Day did not become a national holiday in Ireland until 1903 and the first parade wasn't held in Dublin until 1931.

[phkrause]

Which Oscar-winning actor's brother is a Rod Stewart impersonator and chauffeur?

A. Tom Hanks
B. Al Pacino
C. Jeff Bridges
D. Kevin Spacey

I'm gonna guess Tom Hanks

[phkrause]

What historic stagecoach and transport company evolved into a bank?

Bank of America Wells Fargo Citigroup JP Morgan Chase

Wasn't it "Wells Fargo?"